BUREAU VERITAS ON THE WEB Bureau Veritas offers the VeriSTAR informartion system. Public information on the web includes the BV register of ships, the marine directory, BR rules and regulations and BV type approved products. The company offers the VeriSTAR PSC package, a multi-media training tool for owners and crews. BV built the tool after analysing ship detentions over 3 years, to work out the most common deficiencies and fields of interest. The package includes a dedicated CD-ROM with information about port state control, training for preventative maintenance and checklist. The confidential information povides owners and managers with details about class status of their ships, including expiry dates of class and statutory cerrtificates, next due surveys. BV is forging ahead with its plans to offer classification to e-commerce, not specific to the maritime industry. In October this year, BV launched BVQoS (Bureau Veritas Quality of Service), an internet performance program for internet service providers as part of its eBusiness strategy. It looks at "critical issues in terms of internet quality" including access, services, content, security and confidentiality. B This program complements the Bureau Veritas eBusiness strategy which consists of providing a full portfolio of services answering critical issues in terms of Internet quality (access, services, content, etc), security and confidentiality. Bureau Veritas has published a white paper on Internet quality of service which is available on request. A best practice : how Club-Internet uses BVQoS : Results of the measures are posted on the Club-Internet.fr Members' Club bulletin board. They are presented as two indicators which are updated every 15 minutes : a gauge of: performance of services overall speed a geographic presentation of network availability: graphic display of current situation for each region on a map direct links via name of region Close to 10,000 network tests every day 83 test robots carry out 120 network tests apiece, per day, over a period of 18 hours (from 8a.m. to 2a.m.). These robots are operational at various locations throughout mainland France (practically one robot per geographical department). This is the most transparent, densest system in operation to date. The tests re-enact all of the user's actions: connection persistence of the connection over 20 minute access to emails access to the Club-Internet.fr homepage downloading of a reference file The value creation process The information collected is also used to set up and follow up service level agreements with Club-Internet's suppliers. It is also useful to monitor the performance of key services of the ISP and react immediately in case of problems. A method of assessment which is available to other Internet access suppliers This project was set up in the spring of 2000, at the request of T-Online/Club-Internet. Bureau Veritas is responsible for the upkeep of all the equipment and programs (robots, servers). Club-Internet possesses only one means of indirect access to the data. The latter is not produced by Club-Internet. Bureau Veritas also updates the data displayed on the Club-Internet portal. Bureau Veritas acts as project manager and system operator and can therefore offer this service to other Internet Service Providers and telecom operators. The aim is to generate a sense of overall responsibility among: access suppliers with regard to their clients, in order to establish an atmosphere of trust among local telecom operators, who still play a crucial role in the quality of Internet access. For more information, please contact Guillaume Klossa, ebusiness manager ********** Bureau Veritas announces very positive results for the first six months of 2001 but anticipates a less dynamic second half year. 21st, September, 2001 For the first six months of the year 2001, Bureau Veritas Group sales revenues increased by 20 % to FRF 3 162 million (€ 482 million). Operating income was up by 51 % to FRF 388 million (€ 59 million) and net income, Group share up 43 % to FRF 251 million (€ 38 million). Of this 20% growth, acquisitions accounted for a + 6 % positive effect : in France (Laboratoire Central des Industries Electriques, LCIE) and in the US (Merchandise Testing Laboratories Inc, MTL). Currency translation effects had a minimal impact at + 1 % while organic growth came out strongly at + 13 %. The improvement in the margin is due primarily to the increasing contribution of the division Consumer Products and to the strong growth achieved in the " ships in construction " activity. The growth in revenues by activity is as follows